Additive manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing, are commonly used to construct physical objects based on virtual 3D objects (e.g. CAD models, etc.). Generally, such additive manufacturing technologies are used to convert design data of the virtual 3D object into a plurality of consecutively stacked, thin, cross-sectional layers. For example, a printing unit of a 3D printing device can move above a printing platform along the XY-plane according to coordinates specified by the virtual 3D object, such that a deposited material forms a correct shape at each cross-sectional layer. The printing unit moves layer-by-layer along the Z-axis, with the cross-sectional layers being stacked consecutively to form a physical object corresponding to the virtual 3D object.